Category: Science and Research

Washington D.C. (PRWEB) July 16, 2012

Thirty percent of snow leopard habitat may be lost in the Himalayas, due to treeline shift.

A new study shows that climate change presents a heightened threat for snow leopards in the Himalaya Mountains, according to conservation group World Wildlife Fund.

The study, carried out by WWF scientists and published in the journal Biological Conservation, shows that if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase steadily, 30 percent of snow leopard habitat in the Himalayas may be lost to treeline shift.

Snow leopards, an endangered species with a remaining population roughly estimated to be between 4,000 and 6,500 individuals, are sparsely distributed in the mountains of northern and central Asia, including part of the Himalaya Mountains. In the Himalayas, snow leopards live in high alpine areas, above the treeline and generally below 16,000 feet, where they are able to stealthily track their prey. According to the study, warmer and wetter conditions in the Himalayas will likely result in forests ascending into alpine areas, the snow leopards’ preferred habitat.

“We know that snow leopards rarely venture into forested areas, and there’s a limit to how high these animals can ascend. If the treeline shifts upwards, as our research predicts it will, we’re looking at the snow leopard faced with diminishing options for where it can live,” said Jessica Forrest, a WWF scientist and one the study’s authors.

The study used both computer modeling and on-the-ground tracking efforts in high elevation areas, and modeled the impacts of various warming scenarios on the Himalayan portion of the snow leopard range. Warming at high elevations in the Himalayas is occurring at rates higher than the global average.

The researchers first used field-based data and environmental information such as land cover, terrain ruggedness, and elevation to map current snow leopard habitat. They then used statistical methods to look at the potential impact of climate change on the Himalayan treeline under three greenhouse gas emissions scenarios available from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC projects temperatures in the region to increase by 3-4 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, accompanied by an increase in annual precipitation.

Researchers identified areas that are likely to remain resilient to the effects of climate change, and would thus provide habitat to snow leopards under future climate conditions. Many of these areas span national boundaries, emphasizing the need for transboundary cooperation to protect this rare species.

Researchers also emphasized the need to minimize pervasive threats like illegal hunting, human-wildlife conflict, and overgrazing of livestock in snow leopard habitat. Minimizing these concurrent threats will help snow leopards better deal with the additional stress of losing habitat to climate change.

“Loss of alpine habitat not only means less room for snow leopards, but also has the potential to bring them closer to human activities like livestock grazing. As grazing intensifies and the leopards’ natural prey decline, they could begin preying more heavily on livestock, resulting in increased retaliatory killings,” said WWF snow leopard expert and study co-author Dr. Rinjan Shrestha. As part of their findings, researchers also recommended monitoring the impacts of climate change as they evolve, and adapting management strategies accordingly.

Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebworldwildlife/fund/prweb9691431.htm
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Lee Poston, 202-495-4536, Lee(dot)Poston(at)wwfus(dot)org

New York, NY – For the first time, the den sites of two female snow leopards and their cubs have been located in Mongolia’s Tost Mountains, with the first known videos taken of a mother and cubs, located and  recorded by scientists from Panthera , a wild cat conservation organization, and the Snow Leopard Trust (SLT).

Pictures and videos can be found on Panthera’s website, here

Because of the snow leopard’s secretive and elusive nature, coupled with the extreme and treacherous landscape which they inhabit, dens have been extremely difficult to locate. This is a tremendous discovery and provides invaluable insight into the life story of the snow leopard.

Dr. Tom McCarthy , Executive Director of Panthera’s Snow Leopard Program stated, “We have spent years trying to determine when and where snow leopards give birth, the size of their litters, and the chances a cub has of surviving into adulthood. This is one of those exceptional moments in conservation where after years of effort, we get a rare glimpse into the life of an animal that needs our help in surviving in today’s world. These data will help ensure a future for these incredible animals.” 

A short video of the female and her cub who were bedded down in a partially man-made den was recorded from a safe distance by Orjan Johansson , Panthera’s Snow Leopard Field Scientist and Ph.D. student, using a camera fixed to an extended pole. 

The team, which included a veterinarian, entered the two dens (the first with two cubs, and the second containing one cub) while the mothers were away hunting. All three cubs were carefully weighed, measured, photographed and other details were recorded. Two of the cubs were fixed with tiny microchip ID tags (the size of a grain of rice) which were placed under their skin for future identification. The utmost care was taken in handling the animals to ensure they were not endangered, which was the top priority of the team at all times. In the following days, the team monitored the mothers’ locations to ensure that they returned to their dens and their cubs, which they successfully did.

“Knowledge about the first days and weeks of life is vital to our understanding of how big cat populations work, and how likely it is for a newborn to reach adulthood and contribute to a healthy population.  A valid conservation program requires such information, which this new development in snow leopard research provides,” said Dr. Howard Quigley , Panthera’s Executive Director of both Jaguar and Cougar Programs.

Referred to by locals as ‘Asia’s Mountain Ghost,’ knowledge of snow leopards in general is quite limited due to the cat’s elusive nature, and even less is known about rearing cubs and cub survival in the wild. Until now, what is known has mostly been learned from studying snow leopards in zoos.  Although snow leopard litters typically consist of one to three cubs in a captive zoo environment, no information exists regarding litter size in the wild. As wild snow leopard cubs are subject to natural predators, disease, and also human threats such as poaching or capture for the illegal wildlife market, the percentage of cubs which survive to adulthood has until now only been speculated.

The use of PIT tags and observations of snow leopard rearing in the wild will allow our scientists to learn about the characteristics of a typical natal den and speculate how a den is selected, how long snow leopard cubs remain in dens, when cubs begin to follow their mothers outside of the dens, how often and how long the mother leaves the cubs alone to hunt, how many cubs are typically born in the wild, and other valuable data.  All of these data and more, gathered through camera-trapping and GPS collaring, help to inform effective conservation initiatives undertaken by Panthera across the snow leopard’s range.

Source: Panthera.org

For the second year in a row a snow leopard was captured by the cameras installed in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR) in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.

The NDBR is taking technical support of the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for this special exercise which began last year. A total of fifteen camera traps were installed in different parts of the NDBR this time. The operation began on April when snow leopards move to lower land in search of food. A photograph of the snow leopard, taken this year, was released by the NDBR recently.

The NDBR, which includes Nanda Devi National Park and the Valley of Flowers National Park, was declared as biosphere reserve under the Unesco’s Man and Biosphere (MAB) programme in 2004.

BK Gangte, director of NDBR, said, “Only the fortunate get a chance to watch the endangered snow leopard in the wild. We launched this project last year to capture images of snow leopard through camera traps. This is the second time in two year when we were successful in taking image of the snow leopard. Besides the snow leopard we were also successful in taking pictures of monal, musk deer, blue sheep and many other threatened species this year.”

This time the snow leopard was spotted near Farkya village in Chamoli. The village is located near an Indo-Tibetan Border Police post in the high Himalayas. Last year, on April 10, a snow leopard was caught on camera at Malari region of NDBR.

It is estimated that the total population of snow leopards in India is about 500. Most of the time the snow leopard was monitored through carnivore sign surveys based on evidences such as tracks/pug marks.

Only a few sightings by forest personnel and local villagers or herders were reported from NDBR, Gangtori National Park and Govind National Park in Uttarakhand. However there was no photographic record of snow leopard from Uttarakhand, till last year. After last year’s success, the forest staff continued the operation this year too.

The most beautiful, rare and elusive big cat – the snow leopard – inhabits high altitudes of the Himalayas (3,000 mts) and is the top carnivore of the Himalayan ecosystems.

The snow leopard preys on blue sheep, musk deer, Himalayan tahr, and many small mammals such as marmot, pika and galliformes (snowcock, monal, snow partridge etc). It also preys on domestic livestock when they are herded in the high altitude pasture lands during summer.

It is threatened due to poaching for skin and bones and retaliatory killings against livestock loss.

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/snow-leopard-caught-on-camera-in-uttarakhand/1/203289.html

Knowledge about animal diet can inform conservation strategy, but this information can be difficult to gather. A new DNA-based method, which analyzes genetic material from feces, could be a useful tool, and researchers have shown its utility to characterize the diet of snow leopards in Mongolia.

The full results are reported Feb. 29 in the open access journal PLoS ONE.

Analysis of DNA from 81 fecal samples showed that the leopards ate mostly Siberian ibex, followed by domestic goats and wild sheep. Most of the animals eaten were wild (79 %), with a relatively low proportion of domestic livestock (19.7 %). The authors, led by Pierre Taberlet of Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in France, write that the results help further the understanding of snow leopard feeding, which can help address related conservation and management issues.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/plos-sld022712.php

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-24/lucknow/30658427_1_ips-cells-monash-institute-cell-types

LUCKNOW: The cultivation of embryonic stem-like cells made up from the tissue of an adult leopard, by Rajneesh Verma, has come as a ray of hope for scientists working to save the snow leopard. Rajneesh, a native of Lucknow is presently working at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

Rajneesh has pursued his studies from City Montessori School (till Class X) and Colvin Taluqdar’s (Class 12). After this he went to Australia from where he completed his BSc in biotechnology from Monash University. Having got a scholarship, he then joined MSc biotechnology, and is now a PhD student at Monash Institute of Medical Research (MIMR).

Elated on the discovery, his brother Maneesh said, “Rajneesh was fascinated with big cats since childhood. His findings prove that he is concerned about the extinction of the animal and hence putting all his efforts to save them. He will now apply the stem cell technique to other members of cat family, including the Bengal Tiger, and Jaguar.”

This study has been published in an international journal, Theriogenology. Rajneesh was supervised by Dr Paul Verma, also from MIMR.

It was through the use of ear tissue samples from adult snow leopards at Mogo Zoo, in New South Wales, Australia, that the researchers have generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) cells which share many properties of embryonic stem cells. Verma said that it is for the first time that iPS cells have been generated from a member of a cat family. According to him, the finding raises the possibility of cryopreservation of genetic material for future cloning and other assisted reproduction techniques.

The researchers said that the finding is significant as obtaining reproductive cells, or gametes, even from animals in captivity is a herculean task. Elaborating how the stem cell can save snow leopard, Verma said, “Stem cells can well differentiate between various cell types in the body. In other words, these cells have the potential to convert into gametes. In fact, mouse iPS cells have given birth to entire offspring.” Hence, the study benefits the conservation of cat species, and biodiversity.

The researchers further added, “The first step in creating reproductive cells from adult tissues of an endangered animal has been accomplished by generating these stem cells. Next, we aim to harness the potential of iPS cells and create offspring. This will help to save species from extinction.”

WCS – Photographing snow leopards with remote cameras in Afghanistan is hard, which is why a team of WCS conservationists was delighted to take this recent image from a craggy peak in Afghanistan’s Sarkund Valley. This is the first image of a mother and cub taken since WCS began work in the region. WCS has been conserving wildlife and improving local livelihoods in Afghanistan since 2006 with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

http://www.wcs.org/multimedia/photos/rare-family-snapshot-leopard.aspx

November 29, 2011 – Congratulations to Sergei Spitsyn and Misha Paltsyn!

Pictures available here: http://altaiproject.org/?p=2061

Participants in an expedition sponsored jointly by Arkhar and Altaisky State Biosphere Reserve have obtained the first images of snow leopard and manul (Pallas) cat on the Russian side of Altai Republic’s Chikhacheva Ridge using camera traps.

The first stage of efforts to survey Chikhacheva Ridge’s snow leopard population using camera traps has been completed. This was also the first time that the population living on this ridge that bridges the Russia-Mongolia border was surveyed simultaneously on both sides of the border. In Altai Republic, staff from Arkhar and Altaisky Biosphere Reserve participated in the field expedition, joined by staff from Ubsunurskaya Basin Biosphere Reserve in Tyva Republic and Mongolian specialists from Silkkhemin Nuru National Park and WWF-Mongolia. The Altai Republic expedition was supported technically and financially and otherwise by Snow Leopard Conservancy, WWF-Russia, SUNY-ESF, and Panthera Foundation. Particular thanks to SUNY-ESF and Panthera Foundation for providing camera traps.

The traditional methodology used for this survey is based on the fact that each individual snow leopard has unique markings on its coat. Comparing photos from different cameras permits identification of individual animals and enables a count of the number of snow leopards living in the study region. Arkhar’s and Altaisky Biosphere Reserve’s expedition participants were able to capture snow leopard and manul (Pallas) cat images for the first time ever on the Russian side of Chikhacheva Ridge. In May 2011, a joint Russian-Mongolian expedition obtained a brief video of a snow leopard on the Mongolian side. To date, photographs of what are assumed to be two snow leopards were obtained at a distance of approximately 20 km apart. One camera recorded a night image of another member of the cat family – the manul (Pallas) cat, also listed in the Russian Red Book.

These camera traps work in extreme conditions at over 3000 m (9842 ft) above sea level. There are 10 such cameras in operation on Chikhacheva Ridge. These “smart” tools will track snow leopard movements on the ridge throughout the winter and will help scientists to evaluate the number of animals in this transboundary population of snow leopards. Simultaneous operation of camera traps along the full length of the ridge in both Altai and Tyva Republics in Russia and in Mongolia will gather unique data about snow leopards in this region.

WWF experts believe that the transboundary population of snow leopard living on Chikhacheva Ridge is a key group, essential to the survival of this species within Russia. This population connects Russian snow leopards with the nearest group in Mongolia. The total transboundary snow leopard population on Chikhacheva Ridge is estimated at 10-15 animals.

WWF-Altai-Sayan and Arkhar NGO
Gorno-Altaisk, Altai Republic, Russia
Mikhail Paltsyn (paltsyn@mail.ru, +7 (903) 956-7389)

The Altai Project has worked in partnership with Arkhar, Altaisky Biosphere Reserve, SUNY-ESF, Snow Leopard Conservancy, and WWF-Altai-Sayan to provide extensive logistical and linguistic support of snow leopard conservation in Altai, as well as providing its own small grants program for anti-poaching and enforcement patrols across the entire Republic.

Jennifer Castner
jennifer@altaiproject.org
Director, The Altai Project
Moss Beach, CA
(o) +1.650.563.9098
(c) +1.510.393.5525

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Shimla: Raising conservation concerns for preserving the habitat of snow leopards, – the rare big cats that roam across some of the coldest zones on earth, wildlife wardens in collaboration with Mysore based National Conservation Foundation (NCF) have drawn up plans to set up a research centre in Spiti valley.

Chief wildlife warden AK Gulati says, “of the funds received under ‘Project Snow Leopard’ from central authorities, one of the first tasks is to set up a research center at Kibber, in Spiti.”

He said that with the snow leopard being declared the state animal a lot of conservation interest had been generated to protect it. In the first year Rs 30 lakhs is proposed to be spent on the centre.

Classified as an endangered species in the IUCN’s Red List, the Rs 5.5 crore centre funded snow leopard project spread over Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh and supported by Wildlife Institute of India and NCF this is an Indian initiative for strengthening wildlife conservation in Himalayan altitudes.

Yash Veer Bhatnagar, a senior NCF scientist and a leading authority on snow leopard conservation says, “the research centre would draw from telemetry experiences in Mongolia where such a facility has been set up.

Bhatnagar, who is also director, Snow Leopard Trust – India and are coordinating with state authorities adds, “there are some important issues about snow leopard ranging, behavior etc that remain largely unknown.”

The foundation, which has been working for over a decade has studying the animal in the wild around Kibber village in Spiti, has successfully used camera traps to photograph the deep furred solitary big cat with a long bushy tail in the wild.

Though the number of snow leopards in Indian Himalayas is estimated at 400 to 700, however, Gulati mentions that a survey in 2004 had come up with evidences of 35 of them in Himachal. “Evidences of 24 of them being in Spiti valley and 8 in Pangi-Lahaul valley came up in the survey, he said.

With studies conducted in Himalayas suggest a home range of a snow leopard between 20 to 100 square Kms but advanced GPS collar technology studies in Mongolia and Pakistan have estimated a home range of over 1400 to 1600 Kms, changing the very perception of their range sizes and potential population estimates dramatically, notes the snow leopard conservation management plan.

Proposed to be set up at Kibber, one of the highest villages in Spiti, the research center would help conservationists and wildlife wardens to do a comprehensive long term radio collaring study on snow leopards and their prey.

Photos (used under permission) of the rare Snow Leopards in Spiti valley taken in 2010 are by Kulbhushansingh Suryavanshi – a National Conservation Foundation Researcher

http://hillpost.in/2011/11/25/snow-leopard-research-center-to-be-set-up-at-kibber-spiti/35904/latest-news/ravinder